أَلا مَن يُمطِرُ السَنَةَ الجَمادا

وَمَن لِلجَمعِ يُطلِعُهُ النِجادا

Oh, who will rain upon the barren years,

And for the throng reveal the Pleiades,

وَمَن لِلخَيلِ يُقبِلُهُنَّ شُعثاً

وَيَركَبُهُنَّ شُقراً أَو وِرادا

And for the horses come when they are disheveled

And ride them tawny or white steeds,

غَداةَ الرَوعِ يُنعِلُها الهَوادي

مِنَ الأَعداءِ وَاللَمَمَ الجِعادا

On the morrow when panic disperses them

From the enemy and the blameworthy foes,

مُجَلجِلَةً كَأَنَّ بِها أُواماً

إِلى وَقعِ الصَوارِمِ أَو جُوادا

Rumbling as if there were drums within them

To the clashing of swords or galloping steeds.

يُسامِحُها القِيادَ إِلى المَعالي

وَعِندَ الضَيمِ يُمطِلُها القِيادا

He gives them free rein to glory

And in hardship restrains their lead,

وَمَن لِلحَربِ يَنضَحُ ذِفرَيَيها

وَيَعرُكُها جِلاداً أَو طِرادا

And for war sprinkles their shoulders

And rubs them down smooth or roughly,

يُبَدِّلُ مِن دَمِ الأَعداءِ فيها

لِصارِمِهِ الحَمائِلَ وَالعِمادا

Exchanging in them the enemies' blood

For the hilts and blades of his swords.

هَوى قَمَرُ الأَنامِ وَكانَ أَوفى

عَلى قَمَرِ التَمامِ عُلىً وَزادا

The moon of mankind has set and he was the most faithful

Of moons, an enhancement and increase.

فَقُل لِلقَلبِ لُبَّكَ وَالتَعَزّي

وَقُل لِلعَينِ جَفنَكِ وَالرُقادا

So say to the heart: sheathe your sword and resign yourself,

And say to the eye: close your lid and sleep.

مَصائِبُ لا أُنادي الصَبرَ فيها

وَلا أُدعى إِلَيهِ وَلا أُنادى

Misfortunes wherein I call not for patience

Nor summon it, nor call it to my aid.

أَلِلعَينَينِ قَد قَذَيا بُكاءً

أَمِ الجَنَبَينِ قَد قَلِقا وِسادا

Do mine eyes rain with weeping,

Or my ribs throb and stir my bed?

كَأَنَّ الوَسمَ شَعشَعَ فيهِ قَينٌ

بَجُذوَتِهِ عَلَطتُ بِهِ الفُؤادا

As if the branding iron flashed within it,

Scorching my heart with its live coal.

مِنَ القَومِ الأُلى مَلَأوا اللَيالي

إِلى أَصبارِها كَرَماً وَآدا

Of the people dear they filled the nights

To their morrows with bounty and habit,

وَرَسّوا في فَواغِرِ كُلِّ خَطبٍ

صُدورَ البيضِ وَالزُرقَ الحِدادا

And pitched in the desolate parts of every misfortune

The breasts of heroes and the dark blues of mourning.

إِذا صابَ الحَيا بِبِلادِ ضَيمٍ

جَلَوا عَنهُنَّ وَاِنتَجَعوا بِلادا

When evil befell the abodes of wrong

They shunned them and sought refuge in the lands.

هُمُ الجَبَلُ المُطِلُّ عَلى الأَعادي

إِذا رَجَمَ الزَمانُ بِهِ وَرادا

They are the towering mountain over the enemies

When time pelteth it with hailstones.

لَهُم حَسَبٌ إِذا نَقَّبتَ عَنهُ

تَضَرَّمَ جَمرَةً وَوَرى زِنادا

They have virtue enough, if you search it out,

To kindle flame and ignite tinder.

لَهُم أَنفٌ يَذُبُّ الضَيمَ عَنهُم

وَرَأيٌ يَفرِجُ الكُرَبَ الشِدادا

They have a pride that protects them from injustice

And a view that relieves the most grievous distress,

وَأَيمانٌ إِذا مَطَرَت عَطاءً

حَسِبتَ الناسَ كُلَّهُمُ جَوادا

And oaths which, when they rain bounty,

Make you deem all mankind noble steeds.

تَرى رَأيَ الفَتى فيهِم مُطاعاً

وَقَولَ المَرءِ مِنهُم مُستَعادا

You see the youth's purpose within them obeyed

And the man's word 'mongst them regarded,

وَقَد بَلَغوا مِنَ العَلياءِ أَقصى

ذَوائِبِها وَما بَلَغوا المُرادا

And they have attained the utmost

Of its summits, but not attained their goal.

أَشَتَّ جَميعَهُم صَرفُ اللَيالي

وَلا يُبقي الجَميعَ وَلا الفِرادا

The passage of nights has worn away all of them,

Leaving neither all nor individual.

مُصابُكَ لَم يَدَع قَلباً ضَنيناً

بَغُلَّتِهِ وَلا عَيناً جَمادا

Your loss has left no heart disdainful

In its sorrow, nor eye inanimate.

كَأَنَّ الناسَ بَعدَكَ في ظَلامٍ

أَوِ الأَيّامَ أُلبِسَتِ الحِدادا

As if after you the people were in darkness,

Or the days had donned mourning clothes.

وَكُنتُ أَفَدتُ خِلَّتَهُ وَلَكِن

أَفادَني الزَمانُ وَما أَفادا

And I had hoped to gain your friendship, but

Time has profited me, and nothing profits.

فَإِن لَم أَبكِهِ قُربى تَلاقَت

مَغارِسُها بَكَيتُ لَهُ وَدادا

If your kindred had not wept for you,

I would have wept for you out of love.

يَعِزُّ عَلَيَّ أَن أَطويهِ صَفحاً

وَأَذهَبَ عَنهُ نَأياً أَو بِعادا

I grieve to fold you away unavenged

And remove myself from you, distant or estranged.

تَعَزَّ أَبا عَلِيٍ إِنَّ خَطباً

عَلى العِلّاتِ يَبلُغُ ما أَرادا

Hard it was for Abu ‘Ali when misfortunes

Reached what they intended for the noble ones.

هُوَ القَدَرُ الَّذي خَطَبَت يَداهُ

ثَموداً مِن مَعاقِلِها وَعادا

He is the fate whose hands demolished

Thamud in their citadels and Aad,

وَضَعضَعَ كُلَّ مَن حَمَلَ العَوالي

وَأَرجَلَ كُلَّ مَن رَكِبَ الجِيادا

And made totter all who carried lofty burdens,

And lamed all who mounted the steeds.

يُعَرّي ظَهرَ أَكثَرِنا عَديداً

وَيَهجُمُ بَيتَ أَطوَلِنا عِمادا

He strips bare the backs of our great numbers

And assaults the tallest of our pillars.

كَذاكَ الدَهرُ إِن أَبقى قَليلاً

أَحالَ عَلى بَقِيَّتِهِ وَعادا

Thus is time: if it leaves a little,

It renders the rest again and repeats.

وَبَينا المَرءُ يَجنيهِ ثِماراً

إِلى أَن عادَ يُخرَطُهُ قَتادا

While a man gathers its fruits,

Until it returns to shred him like tatters,

وَأَقرَبُ ما تَرى فيهِ اِنتِقاصاً

إِذا ما قيلَ قَد كَمَلَ اِزدِيادا

And the nearest you see it diminish aught

Is when it is said "he has fully grown."

وَنَعلَمُ أَن سَيوجِرُنا مُراراً

بِآيَةِ أَن يُلَمَّظَنا شِهادا

And we know it will defraud us over and over

With the sign that it has throttled us once.

وَما تُجدي الدُموعُ عَلى فَقيدٍ

وَلَو غَسَلَت مِنَ العَينِ السَوادا

And tears avail not for a lost one,

Even if they wash the black from the eye.

وَكُنتَ مُقَلَّداً مِنها حُساماً

عَلى الأَعداءِ داهِيَةً نَآدى

You were girded with a sword against the foes

Frightful upon the enemies when it was unsheathed.

فَنافَسَكَ الرَدى في مَضرِبَيهِ

فَبَزَّ النَصلَ وَاِختَلَعَ النِجادا

But fate vied with you in its strokes,

So the blade snapped and the scabbard split.

فَنادِ اليَومَ غَيرَ أَبي شُجاعٍ

وَصَمَّ أَبا شُجاعٍ أَن يُنادى

Call then today other than Abu Shuja‘,

And forbid that Abu Shuja' be called.

حَدا غَيرَ الغَمامِ إِلَيهِ كَوماً

تَعِزُّ عَلى المَقاوِدِ أَن تُقادا

Heap none but the clouds toward him,

Hard it is for seats to be led.

نَزائِعَ مِن رِياحِ الغَورِ شَبَّت

عَلى القُلَلِ البَوارِقَ وَالرِعادا

Squalls from the winds of the valley roared,

Against the towering mountains and thunder.

مُخِّضنَ بِهِنَّ مَخضَ الوَطَبِ حَتّى

إِذا جَلجَلنَ أَطلَقنَ المَزادا

They swelled with them as the pond swells, until

When they rumbled aloud they unleashed the torrents.

تَلامَحَتِ البُروقُ بِجانِبَيها

كَأَنَّ لَها اِنحِلالاً وَاِنعِقادا

Lightning flashed on either side of them

As if they split and rejoined.

كَأَنَّ بِهِنَّ راعي مُرزِماتٍ

أَبَسَّ فَحَرَّكَ الحورَ الجِلادا

As if with them a driver goaded startled she-camels

And slapped the white-flanked herd to a gallop.

فَيا لِلناسِ أوقِرُهُ تُراباً

وَأَستَسقي لِأَعظُمِهِ العِهادا

So O people, honour him with earth

And for his greatest sake I pray for rain.

وَما السُقيا لِتَبلُغَهُ وَلَكِن

وَجَدتُ لَها عَلى قَلبي بُرادا

But no rain can reach him—I only found

In my heart a cistern for it.